


New Arrangement

by virgilsjourney (jenna221b)



Series: Learning & Loving [4]
Category: Sanders Sides, Thomas Sanders
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Falling In Love, Logan knows Things, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Roman growing braver, Virgil being kind
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-08
Updated: 2017-09-08
Packaged: 2018-12-25 11:53:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12035337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenna221b/pseuds/virgilsjourney
Summary: Continues from 'Plotting.'-------------Virgil enters the kitchen to find Roman dishing up two bowls of chili. When Roman notices him, he grins, brandishing a spoon at him flamboyantly.“You, friendo, have impeccable timing.”Virgil just snorts, but inside his stomach does that peculiar jolting motion again: the old booming bravado is creeping back into Roman’s voice, and he is stunned at the thought that he might have helped recover it.





	New Arrangement

Virgil enters the kitchen to find Roman dishing up two bowls of chili. When Roman notices him, he grins, brandishing a spoon at him flamboyantly. 

“ _You_ , friendo, have impeccable timing.”

Virgil just snorts, but inside his stomach does that peculiar jolting motion again: the old booming bravado is creeping back into Roman’s voice, and he is stunned at the thought that  _he_  might have helped recover it.

“Where’s Patton?”

“Oh, he got another babysitting gig, said he’ll be back at like 11,” Roman replies, passing a bowl of chili down the table towards Virgil. 

“Thanks,” Virgil says.

They sit opposite each other, knees brushing every so often underneath the table. For a few moments, Virgil just concentrates on eating the chili- it’s delicious, as usual- but then he notices his chair rocking a bit. He frowns and looks down to see one of Roman’s knees bouncing up and down in a nervous rhythm. He looks back up. Roman is just stirring his chili slowly, eyes glazed over. Virgil clears his throat loudly. Roman jumps, spoon clattering against his bowl.

“You okay?” Virgil asks.

Roman’s ears turn red. “Yeah,” he says, staring down at his chili. “Just… thinking.”

“A dangerous past-time,” Virgil quips.

Roman laughs. The sound is still much more reserved than normal, but it’s a real laugh all the same, and it encourages Virgil to press on.

“I met Rachel today,” Virgil says. He tries to keep his tone light, but to him it’s obvious he’s prying.

Roman nods. “Yeah, I figured,” he says- mumbles, really. He sounds resigned.

Virgil gently nudges Roman’s foot under the table. 

“Hey. She said you missed some um, well, meetings? You know, from drama club.”

Roman nods again. And, before Virgil can say anything else, Roman comes out with: “I  _tried_  to go. I never wanted to just  _stop_. I...”

At too long a pause, Virgil nudges Roman again- actually, it’s too soft to be a ‘nudge’, now, just a brush of his socked foot against Roman’s.

“You...?” he prompts carefully. 

Eventually, Roman stutters out: “I tried to, the other day. I ended up right outside the door but I- I was late and, I just- I just couldn’t.” He stares down at his chili again, scowling, but Virgil knows that Roman’s frustration is directed towards himself. “I chickened out and just... wandered around campus.” He looks up and smiles at Virgil weakly. “Pretty pathetic.”

“Not at all,” Virgil says vehemently. 

There’s that vulnerability flickering in Roman’s eyes again, and Virgil impulsively wants to hug him. But, he stays put as Roman opens his mouth to reply.

“I keep on wanting to go, but... I don’t- everything- my breathing went all  _weird_ and- I- I couldn’t-”

Roman swallows and falls silent. 

“Oh,” Virgil says. It strikes him as probably the most useless thing to say, but words are failing him when faced with wave of empathy crashing over him. 

Roman raises his head. His face is set like stone. “You know what? Fuck this.”

He stands up and crosses the room so abruptly that Virgil leans back in alarm. He’s halfway out of the door with a rushed, “I’ll be back later,” when Virgil finds his voice again:

“W-wait, you- did I say something wrong?”

Roman’s face falls. “No! Oh, God,  _no_ , Virgil, never you-I just-” He takes a deep breath. “I’m going to see Rachel.”

And, thank God, there’s the tiniest undercurrent of determination in Roman’s voice, and the sudden pang of worry in Virgil’s chest eases. “Okay. Is your phone charged? Just- just in case.”

Roman’s gaze softens. “Yeah. You know me- I’ll call if I need you.”

Virgil feels his face flush a little, but Roman has already left. He finishes his food and starts heating up Logan’s portion of chili, knowing he’ll probably be too tired from tutoring to do it himself. Besides, it gives him something to focus on, stops him from glancing at the clock too often to anticipate Roman’s return.

He hears Logan’s footsteps before he sees him, and he doesn’t need to turn around to know he’ll be nursing a crick in his neck.

“Evening to you, too, Pocket-protector.”

He turns to see Logan taking off his glasses, rubbing his eyes. “Oh, shush. Where’s-”

“Patton’s babysitting, Roman’s... he said he’ll be back later.”

Logan puts his glasses back on to peer at Virgil.

“Well, you know Roman,” he says, and there’s a warm reassurance in his tone. “He’s a man of his word.”

Virgil serves up Logan’s chili and they chat until Patton comes home. “Sleep,” Patton says as soon as he sees Logan, and Virgil chuckles at how Logan raises his hand in surrender.

“I was just  _going_ ,” Logan says.

Patton glances at Virgil, and smiles, opening his mouth to speak again, but Logan is already dragging him out of the kitchen.

“He’s waiting up for Roman, of course,” Logan says around a yawn, and the kitchen door shuts before Virgil can hear Patton’s reply.

Of course. Of course. What was that supposed to  _mean?_

His thoughts are cut off by the sound of his phone buzzing with a text:

_Home in five xxx_

Virgil doesn’t waste time in replying- instead, he puts the kettle on to boil and starts making tea. It’s chamomile, and it’s usually something he only does for himself but... well. He looks at the two steaming mugs. Well, why not?

He smiles at the sound of Roman oh so gently unlocking the front door, and tip-toeing inside. He hesitates outside the kitchen door, and Virgil is just about to open the door, when Roman does so.

“Oh!” Roman startles a little. “I thought you’d be asleep.”

Virgil shakes his head and smiles. “Unless I’m a very talented sleepwalker.”

Roman smiles back. “You made... is that for me?”

“No, I usually just make two cups of everything.” Virgil again feels a rush of fondness as Roman actually seems to consider that as a possibility. “Of course it’s for you.”

And, there are those words again: of _course_.

Roman steps forward to take his tea, and under the kitchen lights, Virgil can just about see the slight redness to his eyes. Has he been-

Virgil does it without thinking. He reaches over and his hand brushes over Roman’s, steadying his grip on his tea.

“Was-are you- did it go okay?”

Roman sets the tea down, and Virgil quickly draws his hand back. Roman glances down, and for a moment Virgil thinks he’s staring at his hand, but then his head jerks back up.

“Yeah, it went... pretty great, actually. I- I needed to- I think.”

Virgil wonders when he reached the stage of somehow still being able to understand Roman’s half complete sentences.

“And, Rachel was- great- so- she said... she told me she has a girlfriend.”

There’s a spark in Roman’s eyes again, Virgil notices. He no longer looks so... lost. 

“That’s lovely,” is all Virgil says, just because he feels like Roman wants to say more.

And, he does. He takes a deep breath and says, “I’m going to go for it. The audition. Rachel gave me the backing tracks for practicing.”

Virgil smiles again. God, it hits him all at once: just how big a step that was for Roman, and how proud Virgil suddenly is.

“I’m glad, Roman.”

The words don’t feel enough to Virgil, but they seem to be just fine to Roman. He grins and reaches over to sip his tea. There’s a little pause, and Virgil is almost about to wish him goodnight, when Roman hurriedly says:

“Can you watch me rehearse?”

Virgil stares at him. “I... why? I’m not going to be much help, I haven’t even seen Wicked.”

Roman is looking at him over the rim of his cup, and then his eyes suddenly dart around, looking anywhere but at Virgil. 

“I know that. But your- I’d- I’d value your opinion. Only if you want to.”

Bewildered, Virgil says the only reply that makes sense to him: “Yeah, okay.”

_Of course._

**Author's Note:**

> also on tumblr: https://virgilsjourney.tumblr.com/post/165157059825/new-arrangement


End file.
